Black History
Little-Known Facts about MLK
NNPA NEWSWIRE — As the nation commemorates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s holiday, some may find interesting tidbits of little-known or talked about facts and details of the slain civil rights champion.
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
As the nation commemorates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s holiday, some may find interesting tidbits of little-known or talked about facts and details of the slain civil rights champion.
When he was born on Jan. 15, 1929, King’s name at birth was actually was Michael.
His father, a pastor at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church (where the younger King would later also pastor), traveled to Germany and “was inspired by the teachings of the leader of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther,” recalled Michael Hart, a Christian conservative and host of the syndicated “Michael Hart Show.”
“As a result, King Sr. changed his own name as well as that of his 5-year-old son,” Hart said, stating a fact backed by multiple published records.
Not much was made of the fact that King was a very gifted student which allowed him to skip grades 9 and 12 before enrolling in Morehouse College at the age of 15, Hart added.
King’s father and maternal grandfather also attended Morehouse.
“Although King was the son, grandson and great grandson of Baptist ministers, he initially had no desire to enter the ministry,” Hart said.
Another lesser-known fact about King centers on his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. When he delivered that monumental and historic dissertation in Washington, it wasn’t the first time.
The civil rights leader first delivered that speech during the “Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom” on May 17, 1957. At the time, King also delivered his first national address on voting rights before a crowd estimated between 15,000 and 30,000.
King’s assassination in Memphis was not the first attempt on his life.
He narrowly escaped an attempt a decade before on Sept. 20, 1958 in Harlem where he was signing copies his new book, “Stride Toward Freedom.”
Izola Ware Curry approached King and asked if he was Martin Luther King Jr. After he said yes, Curry responded that, “I’ve been looking for you for five years,” and plunged a seven-inch letter opener into King’s chest.
The tip of the blade came to rest alongside his aorta, and King underwent hours of emergency surgery. Surgeons later told King that just one sneeze could have punctured the aorta and killed him.
King was in Memphis in April 1968 to support the strike of the city’s black sanitation workers, and in a speech on the night before his assassination, he told an audience at Mason Temple Church:
“Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now … I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you but I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. And I’m happy tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”
Less than 24 hours later on April 4,1968 at 6:01 pm Central time as he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, King was shot and killed by James Earl Ray.
King would have been 90 this year.
Art
Marin County: A Snapshot of California’s Black History Is on Display
The Marin County Office of Education, located at 1111 Las Gallinas Ave in San Rafael, will host the extraordinary exhibit, “The Legacy of Marin City: A California Black History Story (1942-1960),” from Feb. 1 to May 31, 2024. The interactive, historical, and immersive exhibit featuring memorabilia from Black shipyard workers who migrated from the South to the West Coast to work at the Marinship shipyard will provide an enriching experience for students and school staff. Community organizations will also be invited to tour the exhibit.
By Post Staff
The Marin County Office of Education, located at 1111 Las Gallinas Ave in San Rafael, will host the extraordinary exhibit, “The Legacy of Marin City: A California Black History Story (1942-1960),” from Feb. 1 to May 31, 2024.
The interactive, historical, and immersive exhibit featuring memorabilia from Black shipyard workers who migrated from the South to the West Coast to work at the Marinship shipyard will provide an enriching experience for students and school staff. Community organizations will also be invited to tour the exhibit.
All will have the opportunity to visit and be guided by its curator Felecia Gaston.
The exhibit will include photographs, articles and artifacts about the Black experience in Marin City from 1942 to 1960 from the Felecia Gaston Collection, the Anne T. Kent California Room Collection, The Ruth Marion and Pirkle Jones Collection, The Bancroft Library, and the Daniel Ruark Collection.
It also features contemporary original artwork by Chuck D of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group Public Enemy, clay sculptures by San Francisco-based artist Kaytea Petro, and art pieces made by Marin City youth in collaboration with Lynn Sondag, Associate Professor of Art at Dominican University of California.
The exhibit explores how Marin City residents endured housing inequities over the years and captures the history of plans to remove Black residents from the area after World War II. Throughout, it embodies the spirit of survival and endurance that emboldened the people who made Marin City home.
Felecia Gaston is the author of the commemorative book, ‘A Brand New Start…This is Home: The Story of World War II Marinship and the Legacy of Marin City.’ Thanks to the generous contribution of benefactors, a set of Felecia’s book will be placed in every public elementary, middle, and high school library in Marin.
In addition, educators and librarians at each school will have the opportunity to engage with Felecia in a review of best practices for utilizing the valuable primary sources within the book.
“Our goal is to provide students with the opportunity to learn from these significant and historical contributions to Marin County, California, and the United States,” said John Carroll, Marin County Superintendent of Schools.
“By engaging with Felecia’s book and then visiting the exhibit, students will be able to further connect their knowledge and gain a deeper understanding of this significant historical period,” Carroll continued.
Felecia Gaston adds, “The Marin County Office of Education’s decision to bring the Marin City Historical Traveling Exhibit and publication, ‘A Brand New Start…This is Home’ to young students is intentional and plays a substantial role in the educational world. It is imperative that our community knows the contributions of Marin City Black residents to Marin County. Our youth are best placed to lead this transformation.”
The Marin County Office of Education will host an Open House Reception of the exhibit’s debut on Feb. 1 from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.. All school staff, educators, librarians, and community members are encouraged to attend to preview the exhibit and connect with Felecia Gaston. To contact Gaston, email MarinCityLegacy@marinschools.org
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